--- product_id: 8281583 title: "The Master and Margarita (Penguin Classics)" price: "₹ 3059" currency: INR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.in/products/8281583-the-master-and-margarita-penguin-classics store_origin: IN region: India --- # The Master and Margarita (Penguin Classics) **Price:** ₹ 3059 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Master and Margarita (Penguin Classics) - **How much does it cost?** ₹ 3059 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.in](https://www.desertcart.in/products/8281583-the-master-and-margarita-penguin-classics) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description A masterful translation of one of the great novels of the 20th century Nothing in the whole of literature compares with The Master and Margarita . Full of pungency and wit, this luminous work is Bulgakov's crowning achievement, skilfully blending magical and realistic elements, grotesque situations and major ethical concerns. Written during the darkest period of Stalin's repressive reign and a devastating satire of Soviet life, it combines two distinct yet interwoven parts, one set in contemporary Moscow, the other in ancient Jerusalem, each brimming with incident and with historical, imaginary, frightful and wonderful characters. Although completed in 1940, The Master and Margarita was not published until 1966 when the first section appeared in the monthly magazine Moskva . Russians everywhere responded enthusiastically to the novel's artistic and spiritual freedom and it was an immediate and enduring success. This new translation has been made from the complete and unabridged Russian text. Review: A Masterpiece of Russian Literature - When I think of masterpieces of Russian literature, I often think of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Anna Karenina, as well as Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and The Brothers Karamazov. I also think of Alexander Pushkin’s epic poem Eugene Onegin, Ivan Turgenev’s A Hunter’s Sketches, Fathers and Sons, First Love and Faust, Mikhail Lermontov’s A Hero of Our Time, Anton Chekhov’s plays and short stories – “The Three Sisters,” “Uncle Vanya,” and “The Cherry Orchard” – and Nicholai Gogol’s Dead Souls. During the period of Soviet oppression, there are such writers as Boris Pasternak who wrote Dr. Zhivago, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn who wrote Cancer Ward, The Gulag Archipelago, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, August 1914, and March 1917. And then there is Mikhail Bulgakov, the author of noteworthy plays, and his masterpiece The Master and Margarita, written between 1928 and 1940, and published in 1966 and 1967. I read the Penguin Classic Deluxe Edition, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, with an Introduction by Richard Pevear and a Foreword by Boris Fishman. You will discover that Bulgakov has infused The Master and Margarita with the political satire of the Soviet regime, and with interesting and fantastical characters. Moreover, the genre is not only political satire, but a fantasy, filled with allegories, and literary allusions. The fantasy is about the Devil (Woland) who arrives in modern-day Moscow with his henchmen – Koroviev, his valet, Azazello, his hit man, Hella, a female vampire, and Behemoth, a large black cat. They all possess supernatural powers and create chaos in their wake. Part of the chaos is slapstick comedy and quite hilarious, but other parts are quite serious, a commentary or satire on Soviet oppression, resulting in murder. For instance, the death of Mikhail Berlioz, the head of a writer’s union, after meeting Woland at Patriarch Ponds, where they sit on a bench and converse, is unexpected. From that moment onward, the chaos becomes more profound and alarming. This is evident at Woland’s séance at the Variety Theater, the shenanigans at Berlioz’s summer restaurant – The House of Griboedov - on Griboedov Street, and at Berlioz’s apartment, number 50, on Sadovaya Street. All three are primary locations where fantastical, supernatural, and black magical phenomena take place. Especially, at Berlioz’s much sought-after apartment, where Woland and his henchmen have taken up temporary residence. Margarita enters in book two, and she is a beauty, who is more than willing to do anything for her lover, the Master, who has authored a book about Pontius Pilate, the fifth procurator of Judea, and the passion and crucifixion of Jesus (Jeshua, Ha-Nozri), on Bald Mountain (Golgotha). Throughout the book, Bulgakov returns to the Master’s story, the Pontius Pilate story, (which is a story within a story) every now and again. You will find the conversation between Jesus and Pilate to be captivating and interesting, especially if you compare them to the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John. The story engenders strong emotions of sadness and guilt, analogous to what the secret police, and what others, might have felt later, after the downfall of the Soviet regime. For the sake of the Master, her lover, who the authorities locked away in room 118 in a psychiatric clinic, Margarita agrees to become a witch, temporarily, and accompany Woland and his retinue to a Devilish Ball. Afterwards, Woland grants her a wish, reuniting her and her lover in their basement apartment, where he spent years earlier writing the Pontius Pilate story. As Woland and his henchmen depart Moscow, with Margarita and the Master, riding strong steeds into the moonlight, and as Pontius Pilate simultaneously walks into the moonlight in Ivan Nikolaevich’s dream, you cannot help but feel the sadness and nostalgia of the penultimate and last chapter of the book. “Forgiveness and Eternal Refuge,” and the “Epilogue” could easily bring you to tears, as if someone - the regime, Pontius Pilate - were indeed asking for forgiveness. Walking into the moonlight, Pilate says to his companion, “Gods, gods…tell me it never happened! I implore you, tell me, it never happened!” And his walking companion replies, “Well, of course it never happened…you imagined it.” He swears to it, and Pilates says, “I need nothing more,” ending the story with profound emotions of denial and guilt. And thus ends Bulgakov’s political satire and masterpiece. Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel The Master and Margarita exceeded all my expectations. You will find this book to be enlightening, educational, and entertaining. It is a masterpiece, and thus, I highly recommend this book to all readers. Review: Very Unusual Book - This has been a difficult book for me because I am so unfamiliar with the culture of Russia. I know I am missing out on some of the satire and irony. Nonetheless, it is one of the most interesting and charming books l’ve ever read. I think I will get even more out of it once I’ve read it for a second time. It has many characters with long, difficult to figure out how to pronounce, names. It is just like nothing else I’ve ever read. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #78,515 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #31 in Fiction Satire #76 in Russian & Soviet Literature (Books) #162 in Classic American Literature | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,732 Reviews | ## Images ![The Master and Margarita (Penguin Classics) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/8101hO-bHqL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Masterpiece of Russian Literature *by A***O on December 21, 2023* When I think of masterpieces of Russian literature, I often think of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Anna Karenina, as well as Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and The Brothers Karamazov. I also think of Alexander Pushkin’s epic poem Eugene Onegin, Ivan Turgenev’s A Hunter’s Sketches, Fathers and Sons, First Love and Faust, Mikhail Lermontov’s A Hero of Our Time, Anton Chekhov’s plays and short stories – “The Three Sisters,” “Uncle Vanya,” and “The Cherry Orchard” – and Nicholai Gogol’s Dead Souls. During the period of Soviet oppression, there are such writers as Boris Pasternak who wrote Dr. Zhivago, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn who wrote Cancer Ward, The Gulag Archipelago, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, August 1914, and March 1917. And then there is Mikhail Bulgakov, the author of noteworthy plays, and his masterpiece The Master and Margarita, written between 1928 and 1940, and published in 1966 and 1967. I read the Penguin Classic Deluxe Edition, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, with an Introduction by Richard Pevear and a Foreword by Boris Fishman. You will discover that Bulgakov has infused The Master and Margarita with the political satire of the Soviet regime, and with interesting and fantastical characters. Moreover, the genre is not only political satire, but a fantasy, filled with allegories, and literary allusions. The fantasy is about the Devil (Woland) who arrives in modern-day Moscow with his henchmen – Koroviev, his valet, Azazello, his hit man, Hella, a female vampire, and Behemoth, a large black cat. They all possess supernatural powers and create chaos in their wake. Part of the chaos is slapstick comedy and quite hilarious, but other parts are quite serious, a commentary or satire on Soviet oppression, resulting in murder. For instance, the death of Mikhail Berlioz, the head of a writer’s union, after meeting Woland at Patriarch Ponds, where they sit on a bench and converse, is unexpected. From that moment onward, the chaos becomes more profound and alarming. This is evident at Woland’s séance at the Variety Theater, the shenanigans at Berlioz’s summer restaurant – The House of Griboedov - on Griboedov Street, and at Berlioz’s apartment, number 50, on Sadovaya Street. All three are primary locations where fantastical, supernatural, and black magical phenomena take place. Especially, at Berlioz’s much sought-after apartment, where Woland and his henchmen have taken up temporary residence. Margarita enters in book two, and she is a beauty, who is more than willing to do anything for her lover, the Master, who has authored a book about Pontius Pilate, the fifth procurator of Judea, and the passion and crucifixion of Jesus (Jeshua, Ha-Nozri), on Bald Mountain (Golgotha). Throughout the book, Bulgakov returns to the Master’s story, the Pontius Pilate story, (which is a story within a story) every now and again. You will find the conversation between Jesus and Pilate to be captivating and interesting, especially if you compare them to the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John. The story engenders strong emotions of sadness and guilt, analogous to what the secret police, and what others, might have felt later, after the downfall of the Soviet regime. For the sake of the Master, her lover, who the authorities locked away in room 118 in a psychiatric clinic, Margarita agrees to become a witch, temporarily, and accompany Woland and his retinue to a Devilish Ball. Afterwards, Woland grants her a wish, reuniting her and her lover in their basement apartment, where he spent years earlier writing the Pontius Pilate story. As Woland and his henchmen depart Moscow, with Margarita and the Master, riding strong steeds into the moonlight, and as Pontius Pilate simultaneously walks into the moonlight in Ivan Nikolaevich’s dream, you cannot help but feel the sadness and nostalgia of the penultimate and last chapter of the book. “Forgiveness and Eternal Refuge,” and the “Epilogue” could easily bring you to tears, as if someone - the regime, Pontius Pilate - were indeed asking for forgiveness. Walking into the moonlight, Pilate says to his companion, “Gods, gods…tell me it never happened! I implore you, tell me, it never happened!” And his walking companion replies, “Well, of course it never happened…you imagined it.” He swears to it, and Pilates says, “I need nothing more,” ending the story with profound emotions of denial and guilt. And thus ends Bulgakov’s political satire and masterpiece. Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel The Master and Margarita exceeded all my expectations. You will find this book to be enlightening, educational, and entertaining. It is a masterpiece, and thus, I highly recommend this book to all readers. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Unusual Book *by V***S on July 31, 2026* This has been a difficult book for me because I am so unfamiliar with the culture of Russia. I know I am missing out on some of the satire and irony. Nonetheless, it is one of the most interesting and charming books l’ve ever read. I think I will get even more out of it once I’ve read it for a second time. It has many characters with long, difficult to figure out how to pronounce, names. It is just like nothing else I’ve ever read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strange, Brilliant, and Occasionally Challenging *by J***I on May 15, 2025* The Master and Margarita is one of those rare novels that feels like an experience more than a story—part political satire, part philosophical meditation, part supernatural romp. Mikhail Bulgakov crafts a narrative so layered and surreal that at times it feels like literary sleight of hand: one moment you're in Stalin-era Moscow watching the Devil expose the hypocrisy of Soviet society, and the next, you're transported to biblical Jerusalem in a deeply human retelling of Pontius Pilate’s inner turmoil. The writing is sharp and filled with biting wit, and the novel's audacity is undeniable. A talking cat, a naked witch flying over the city, and Satan hosting a grand ball—Bulgakov pulls no punches in pushing the boundaries of realism and fantasy. It's bold, strange, and utterly original. That said, the read can be difficult. The narrative shifts in time and tone require patience, and much of the book’s richness lies in its subtext. Understanding who the characters represent—particularly their real-life Soviet parallels—adds a whole new layer of meaning. Without that historical context, some of the satire and symbolism can feel disorienting or obscure. Despite these challenges, The Master and Margarita is a rewarding and unforgettable read. It’s a novel that dares to question power, truth, and morality—while also delighting in the absurd. Four stars for its brilliance, ambition, and complexity. It may not be an easy read, but it’s absolutely worth the effort. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Master and Margarita (Penguin Classics) - The Stranger - One Hundred Years of Solitude (Harper Perennial Modern Classics) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.in/products/8281583-the-master-and-margarita-penguin-classics](https://www.desertcart.in/products/8281583-the-master-and-margarita-penguin-classics) --- *Product available on Desertcart India* *Store origin: IN* *Last updated: 2026-08-26*